picket fence

American

noun

a fence consisting of pickets or pales nailed to horizontal stringers between upright posts.

picket fence British

noun

a fence consisting of pickets supported at close regular intervals by being driven into the ground, by interlacing with strong wire, or by nailing to horizontal timbers fixed to posts in the ground

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of picket fence

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

picket fence

Owning a house with a white picket fence?

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

They’d rather invest in index funds and travel the world than tie themselves to a 30-year mortgage and a picket fence.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 25, 2025

A picket fence is trim, as are the schoolhouse’s large windows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025

Last year, Roger and Lindy bought a house in Paradise, a newly built, blue, two-bedroom with a white picket fence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025

When he came to it, he stopped and stood before a high, black, iron picket fence, feeling constricted inside.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023